The Company We Keep -- Proverbs 2

When we are working with younger people, grade school, especially high school, good counsel is found in offering the reminder to keep good company. Rarely if ever would you hear a parent encourage a child to go out in get mixed up in the wrong crowd. This lesson is not reserved for those who have yet to graduate from high school. All of us need to be mindful of the company we keep.

The writer of the second Proverb contrasts the "immoral woman" with the "good men." I am not sure this is a gender issue as much as it is a character issue. An admonishment is being offered to a young man from his father, and there is a strange and dangerous allure of immoral women and young men. Our greater lesson is found in taking care of the company we keep. Just a few questions to get us thinking; Do the people we spend the most time with draw us closer to God, or create distance? Do my relationships give life or steal it? Am I tempted to do things I know to be inconsistent with Scripture as an influence of the company I keep?

Clearly we must spend time with people who are not as convinced of God as we might be. Jesus spent significant time with those others thought to be immoral and of bad influence. Light is required to pierce the darkness. The challenge is not to have the opposite effect. The goal is for us to influence others to draw close to Christ, not allow others to draw us away. Building relationships with others is essential and the main act of God in creation. We must find ways to ensure we are not allowing the company we keep to hinder us from reaching "the paths of life" v.19.

Keep good company. Find people who can lead in the the paths of life. Reach out to those who might be choosing another path. Guard your heart, mind, soul and strength that you might not get drawn into their path. Keep good company.